The disclosure relates to poly(arylene ether)/polyamide compositions.
Poly(arylene ether)/aliphatic polyamide compositions are widely used and the characteristics of the compositions are a result of, at least in part, the characteristics of the poly(arylene ether) and the polyamide. Despite their wide use compositions employing aliphatic polyamides can suffer from drawbacks such as undesirably low dimensional stability, and high moisture absorption. Attempts have been made to improve the physical property profile by altering the polyamide structure to include aromatic elements. Compositions employing these aliphatic-aromatic polyamides have improved many physical properties such as heat resistance, dimensional stability and water absorption but have diminished other desirable properties. For instance, many aliphatic-aromatic polyamides have melt temperatures above the degradation temperature of many polymers. Thus these aliphatic-aromatic polyamides cannot be blended with many polymers without causing at least partial degradation of the polymer. Some aliphatic-aromatic polyamides have a melt temperature less than the degradation temperature of many polymers but these polyamides usually have inadequate dimensional stability for most applications and blends employing them typically demonstrate poor dimensional stability as well.
Additionally, poly(arylene ether)/polyamide compositions typically have at least two immiscible phases and the physical properties of the composition can be affected by the morphology of the phases. For instance, a poly(arylene ether)/polyamide composition may have dimensional stability in the flow direction that is not the same as the dimensional stability in the non-flow direction. However, the morphology of the phases can be difficult to control and methods of controlling it can vary depending on the polyamide.
Accordingly there is a need for a poly(arylene ether)/aliphatic-aromatic polyamide composition having a combination of high heat resistance, processability, comparable dimensional stability in the flow and non-flow directions in the absence of filler and low water absorption.